2022 saw the first year of a proposed transformation of the moat around the Tower of London annually, from a flat lawn into a biodiverse habitat for pollinators and a beautiful naturalistic landscape. The colours of the flowers are on the one hand spectacular and on the other soft and muted. As you wander through the paths you are drawn to stop and admire, soak it all in and reflect.
The flowers have been planted across 14,000 square metres using fifteen different seed mixes, wildflower turf and a range of perennial plants.
The team who planted all the blooms anticipated that the three sides of the moat would have different conditions, but this did not quite work out as planned. The wind off the Thames was a major factor in affecting growth, so there were a few surprises along the way.
There is a circular willow “nest”, a sculpture by the artist Spencer Jenkins. It is hand-crafted by Spencer out of black maul steamed willow. It is designed to encourage people to pause, slow down and take time to enjoy the changing landscape of the moat.
When you see the blooms from the pavement above, they look interesting but not spectacular. It isn’t until you enter the moat that you get totally drawn in and lose yourself with thoughts, smells and memories of summer days in the meadows of our childhood. One of the main aims of the project was to inspire people across the country to create new green spaces and habitats for wildlife.
The attached pictures tell the whole story.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .
Not sure what this story has to do with Rye… other than highlight the monstrosity that is the Salts, which Rother has simply abandoned to create a faux ‘meadow’ laced with decaying dog faecal matter.
Simply stopping mowing doesn’t create a wild flower meadow. It has to be managed. Which Rother isn’t doing. Imagine the outcry in Bexhill should Rother decide to abandon all the grass growing beside the De la Warr. So I suppose this story serves to highlight the poverty of Rother and how it treats Rye as an experiment in how not to deliver services. I hope to God that the expensive Tower of London moat scheme doesn’t inspire any councils or public bodies to stop mowing open spaces under a false pretence of bringing nature into towns as Rother has claimed it is doing at our Salts, which have been stolen from us as a public space to use and enjoy.
How one must agree with Andy Stuart, interesting in last months Rye news,the mayor was going too adress this problem, if not perphaps district councillors Norton and Stevens can get this awful eyesore mown,by Rother district council.
I do not think the salts is an eyesore I rather like it..and have walked across it…
I realise a real meadow is supposed to be managed and takes a few years to get it to its perfection.
But we were all encouraged to have a no mow May to encourage the plants to grow and be of benefit to moths butterfly’s and other insects. The No Mow May was a catchy way of engaging people but the longer you don’t mow the longer the flowers have to bloom and then set seed to keep the whole process off for the following years..It was to encourage not only councils but domestic gardeners ..to set a side an area of their gardens to enhance the environment. I believe that science has also found that when grass is cut it sends out signals to the other grass around that it’s endangered..as indeed trees and fungi do the same in the underground network of their roots..All very fascinating and awe inspiring how every thing is connected..Also we need more vegetation to help cool the ambient air temperature..where we live ,so important as temperatures seem to be on the rise…and built up areas where there is no vegetation the temperatures becomes hotter …
May be it also keeps all our council taxes down by managing grass areas etc.and pollution using all that fuel.!
Odd to hear such negative comments on such a transformation around the Tower, looks wonderful.
Agree on the Salts though that it should be returned to a play area.
I’ve just returned from the Charante in France and they manage verges and wilding a lot better. I’m not sure Rother District Council even have a plan to return areas back to meadows etc.
Not sure how long Judith Gibson has lived in the town, but most townsfolk can remember the hive of activity that took place on the old town Salts over the years, the medieval spectacular, the fetes,pop concerts, five a side football tournaments,and many other events, the Salts areas have always been for sports and recreational use, and that’s what they were left to the people of this town for, and not an overgrown wilderness, we have plenty of rewilding around us,unkempt roadside verges,river banks,and along our railway lines, and hopefully those in charge will get it back to its original use,Recreation.
John Tolhurst. I agree with you about how wonderfully the whole of the salts were used by the people of Rye….I have known Rye since 1979/1980…and remember when we had the whole area of the salts for many uses.not sectioned off like it is now.. with the Bowles area…picnic area the children’s play area..the area left for the fair, circus and Rye bonfire. Then the area for other activities .Its become divided into little sections …all rather a shame..
I do like the long grass this year..but used my comment to point out about what we all could try in our own gardens …. and may be this year it’s been rather fortuitous to leave it long ..as we have not had lots of rain to keep the grass green …so now it’s may be nearly time to cut it and get it back to be used for sport activities for many…though there is the cricket field with the skateboard area on the other side of the road…
John it’s not quite an over grown wilderness..it’s still walkable . I think perhaps the term re wilding is not always a hopeful term..that has gained traction..that leaving grass to grow and have native flowers grow their full cycle ..is just how in England had wonderful meadows as part of our diverse landscape…
The childrens play area has been there since the 50’s granted it wasn’t fenced off but we live in a different world now, the bowling green was the putting Green also there since the 50’s that I know of.
The picnic area was the new putting green but that was abandoned.
Someone said that by not mowing it we’re doing our bit to cut down on pollution, all very admirable but all cancelled out by the bonfire in November.